Comforting Claudia part 2
by nevermindthebuttocks
Summary: They're flying home from California and they've never seen Claudia so subdued. Set after 3x6 "Don't Hate the Player"


Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13

Author's Note: This feels sloppy to me, but I can't figure out how else to piece it together. Constructive criticism is appreciated.

On the plane back to South Dakota, Pete and Myka are both uncomfortably aware that they've never seen the girl genius so subdued before. Not that she's always chatty; she can easily go hours without speaking, but in those instances she's busily fidgeting in some way or another. No, this is different, and they exchange several worried glances over the course of the flight. Claudia is entirely still, staring out her window into the dark sky. She speaks when spoken to, forces a bright smile, makes a quippy remark, and then retreats back into herself. The business with Fargo has struck a chord with her that she clearly doesn't want to admit, and neither of them knows exactly how to address what they saw.

Pete is closer to the young girl, adores her like any older brother would adore a little sister, but even he can't figure out how to solve this one. He knows her life hasn't exactly been a picnic, but he hadn't worried about facing one of her fears; his fear had simply caused the Farnsworth to break, and he hadn't expected much worse from her own. He's exhausted from the flight to California and the subsequent day of saving lives, but every time he closes his eyes all he can see is the terror on her face. He stays awake the entire flight to avoid hearing her screams inside his head. The in-flight movie is a romantic comedy which he dutifully watches, more than once, offering commentary to the girls sitting next to him in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Myka is having a similar problem while she half-listens to Pete yammering on about the movie. When she had stood in the room with Gibson, hours ago, watching Claudia and Pete's heart rates skyrocket, she was almost positive it was some bizarre fear of Pete's causing the trouble. She jumped into the game and raced through as fast as she could, using Gibson's instructions as her guide. She wasn't prepared for what she saved them from, and though Claudia immediately reassured them all, she knows something isn't quite right now. She's no stranger to Psychiatric research; she grew up in a bookstore, after all, and there was plenty to read on that subject. She's read enough to know that Electroconvulsive Therapy looks nothing like what Claudia was about to undergo in the game. She spends the remainder of the flight anxiously wondering how much of Claudia's fear was based on firsthand experience. A sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that Pete might call a "vibe" tells her that it was more real than imaginary fear.

The warehouse is quiet when they arrive. Artie, Leena, and Steve had retired to their beds once they'd heard that the mission was a success. In the foyer, Pete and Myka exchange glances, and both start talking at once,

"I could go for some of those scotchies after that airplane food, Claude, you wanna join—"

"Claudia, you mentioned teaching me how to hack the network, would now be a good time –"

They stop, and glance at each other again. Claudia lifts an eyebrow before responding,

"Actually, guys, I'm kind of beat. I think I'll just…see you in the morning?" the false smiles and quippy remarks are gone now, and neither of them are sure if this is an improvement. They each awkwardly stumble out an agreement, stepping all over each other's sentences once again, and shuffle up the stairs to their own bedrooms as well.

It's only an hour or so later when Myka wakes at the creak of floorboards outside her bedroom door. Normally she would sleep through the sound, but the night's events have put her mind on edge and she instinctively knows that the footsteps creaking down the stairs belong to Claudia. She listens for a few moments longer, but Claudia doesn't seem to be going back to bed, and Myka begins to worry.

She tiptoes down the stairs and peers around. She can just make out the shape of the teenager sitting on the couch. She lets her eyes adjust slightly, before whispering,

"Claudia? Is everything alright?" Claudia remains still, but Myka hears a sniffle come from the direction of the couch, and she immediately closes the distance between them, plops herself down next to the girl and pulls her into her arms. It isn't long before the tears come, for both of them, and they sit in the darkness crying together for nearly an hour.

When Claudia's sobs turn back to sniffles, Myka finds her voice.

"Do you want to talk about it?" There's a beat of silence and for a moment she's worried that she's overstepped and that Claudia will close herself off. But then, with another sniffle, Claudia begins,

"I, uh…the mental institution. I checked myself in when I started seeing Joshua. Before I realized that he was real, I mean. I just thought I was going crazy." She pauses here, and Myka urges her on after a moment.

"…and?" Claudia laughs shortly.

"And it was even less peachy than I thought it would be. They, uh, they couldn't really figure out what was wrong with me. They said I had schizophrenia and depression and after meds didn't stop the visions, my doctor, Dr. Michener, asked if we could consider other treatment options. I said yes, obviously, I mean I just wanted to stop seeing my dead brother, you know? Anyway, Michener took that as enough consent, I guess. The pain was -" She shudders and takes a deep breath, as though she's going to dive into more detail, but then diverts, and continues, "After a couple months I wised up. I told them the treatments worked and that I didn't see Josh anymore. I checked myself out as soon as I could, and it was around then when I realized Joshua was trapped. I found you guys after that."

It's the most Myka has ever heard Claudia say about her own past and she doesn't push for more answers, though there are dozens of questions she wants to ask. She simply tightens her grip on the girl and they sit together for a long while before Claudia speaks again.

"Mykes? Um. About the video game…did you go through the whole thing to get to us?"

"Well, sort of. I mean Gibson sort of gave me all the directions before I went in, so it was like having cheat codes, I guess. Why do you ask?" Claudia shifts uncomfortably.

"It's just that, uh. Well I'm guessing you noticed it was based on the Warehouse?" Myka snorts and nods.

"To say the least. Artie's not going to be happy about that." And Claudia manages a small laugh.

"Oh definitely not. Dougie's gonna be in some hot water for that one. It's just, um. Well, it wasn't just Artie and Leena that he copied. I was there too. He made me—" she pauses, and sighs. "He made me the fracking princess, Myka. Me!" At Myka's lack of response, Claudia continues. "I mean, what does that mean? Is that how he sees me, with the high-pitched cheerleader voice and the giant boobs and the needing to be saved? Or…or is that how he _wants_ me to be?" Myka still doesn't respond, and Claudia sighs again, and quietly adds, "Why am I not good enough just, you know, as me?"

Myka had been trying to process the switch from institution to video game, but now she jumps in with force.

"Claudia, you can't possibly believe that, can you? Is this what was upsetting you so much on the plane?" At Claudia's shrug, she continues, grasping the younger girl by the shoulders. "Now you listen to me. You are perfect just as you are. Princess-Claudia couldn't hold a candle to you, and I'm sure Fargo knows that. It was probably his way of acting out some hero fantasy, nothing more. But Claude? If _that_ is Fargo's dream girl, forget him! Any guy who can't see how amazing you are as yourself isn't worth a minute of your time, got it?"

Somewhere along the speech they had both started crying again, and Myka once again tucks Claudia into her arms and holds her there. It still shocks her sometimes how vulnerable the girl is underneath the brusque outer exterior. She relishes the opportunity to be the one to comfort her this time; between Steve, Artie, and Pete she so rarely gets the chance to be the one Claudia turns to for comfort.

Pretty soon Claudia has fallen asleep in her arms, and Myka can't bring herself to wake the girl up to go up to bed, but she also doesn't think she can lift her on her own. She's ready to resign them both to sleeping on the couch when she hears someone clear their throat on the stairs. She turns her head, only half-surprised, and can see the outline of Pete hunched over as he sits on the bottom stair. She waves him over.

He lifts Claudia easily into his arms, thinking once again about how small she is for her age, and begins the journey upstairs, taking care not to bump her legs against the railing. Myka follows close behind, and watches as Pete eases the young girl onto her bed, spreads the blankets over her, and presses a tender kiss to her forehead. It's still dark, and it isn't until he closes Claudia's bedroom door behind him that he's close enough for Myka to see the tear tracks on his face. He heaves out a breath and hugs her to him.

"You did good back there, Mykes. Real good." She hugs him back more tightly. They share a watery smile and retreat to their own bedrooms.


End file.
